California Angels (MLB, 1985)

1985 Yearbook:
California Angels Silver Anniversary Yearbook

      1985 was the 25th Anniversary of California Angels baseball.  The Angels joined the American League in 1961 as the junior circuit's first West Coast team. The franchise was owned by the legendary "Singing Cowboy", Gene Autry. Upon hearing that the American League was expanding to Los Angeles, Autry, who owned several radio stations by then, met with league officials to try and get broadcasting rights to the team. The officials were so impressed by Autry's pitch that they talked him into purchasing the franchise. 
     By 1985, Autry's California Angels were one of the top teams in the American League, having already won the AL West title in 1979 and 1982. Led by longtime manager Gene Mauch, they also had the oldest roster, with several players north of 30. Leading the way were two future Hall of Famers: first baseman Rod Carew and outfielder/designated hitter Reggie Jackson. Carew came to the team in 1979 after 12 years in Minnesota. Carew would collect his 3,000th hit and hit .280 in his final season. Reggie Jackson arrived via free agency in 1982 after a tumultuous five years with the New York Yankees. Still a dangerous hitter, Jackson hit .252 with 27 home runs for the Angels in 1985.
     As a team, the Halos batted .251 with 153 home runs, ninth overall in the league. Jackson led the team with 27 homers, and was joined by Ruppert Jones (who won the World Series with Detroit the previous year), Brian Downing and Doug DeCinces in the 20-homerun club. Utility player Juan Beniquez had the highest batting average at .304. Bobby Grich, one of the most popular Angels players at the time, hit .242 with 13 home runs, playing mostly at second base. Future Blue Jays star Devon White was a rookie with California in 1985, hitting .149 in 21 games. Veteran catcher Bob Boone, acquired from the Phillies in 1982, played 150 games behind the plate, hitting .248 with 5 home runs, at age 37. 
     The ace pitcher on the 1984 Angels staff was Mike Witt, who went 15-9 with a 3.56 ERA in 35 starts. The previous season, Witt made history by throwing the 11th perfect game in major league history, mowing down the Seattle Mariners on the last game of the year. Ron Romanick had the next-most wins, going 14-9 with a 4.11 ERA in 31 starts. Kim McCaskill (12-12) was the other Angels starter to win over 10 games, winning 12. Veteran Tommy John started the year with California, but was waived during the season after a 2-4 start. The team acquired 40-year old ace Don Sutton from Oakland during the season, and he went 2-2 in 5 starts. The team's closer was Donnie Moore, who saved 31 games with an excellent 1.92 ERA in 65 appearances.
     Despite the overall age of the lineup, the Angels battled the Kansas City Royals throughout the season. California would end up finishing 90-72, one game back of the eventual World Champion Royals. Fans came out in droves to watch the Halos, as the team drew 2,567,427 fans to Anaheim Stadium, best in the American League. 
     This is a yearbook commemorating the Angels' 25th Anniversary. It's 64 pages, mostly all of which are in color. Pages 5-8 feature the story of Gene Autry and his life from "Singing Cowboy" to Angels owner. The history of the team is next, on pages 11-21. All the players, manager Gene Mauch, and the coaching staff have color photos and bios from pages 25-56, with the starters having full page pictures and articles. Local advertisements include Disneyland, Farmer John Hot Dogs, the City of Anaheim, Chevron and Hughes Aircraft Company. 

Reference:
"1985 California Angels Statistics", from baseball-reference.com